Parents often wonder whether it is worth paying for a revision programme at half-term or more often at Easter. Surely if a school has been doing its job well, there should be no need for an additional programme during the holiday time when a student should be relaxing and recharging batteries?

At a period of high-stakes exams however, school holidays have never really been a time for full time relaxation for students about to embark on public exams. It has always been expected that an exam candidate will be putting a revision timetable into place for the holiday and studying hard to be ready for the forthcoming exams.

Remove the pressure of self-discipline and parental nagging!

A formal revision programme can be hugely beneficial to a student who finds it difficult to act upon a well-meant revision timetable. The structure of a programme with tuition, past paper practice and mock exams can prepare a candidate well, removing the necessity for Immaculate self-discipline. The best planned home revision timetables are often disregarded when other distractions beckon. At the very least a formal revision programme can remove the pressure from a candidate to stick to a revision timetable. Equally important, it can mean far less nagging from parents!

It's not a panacea to a year of idleness

No revision programme can be an alternative to having worked hard during the rest of the academic year. A whole specification cannot be taught in a matter of days! Nevertheless, a week, two weeks or even 3 weeks of relevant tuition can help enormously. Intensive specification-specific programmes can help a candidate focus on hitting assessment objectives that will help attain as many marks as possible in the real exams. Fast turnaround of past papers and mock exams with insightful comments can help a candidate avoid common pitfalls. Practice under timed conditions in a mock exam can help an anxious candidate to respond with focus in an unfamiliar environment.

Surround yourself with similarly focused candidates

There is nothing quite like realising that there are many other candidates equally determined to attain their full potential to focus the mind. A student who has always been top of the class at school may benefit from being made aware but there are a good number of similarly able candidates with whom to compete. Being surrounded by ambitious peers can be hugely motivational.

Making the decision

If your child has been performing well throughout the school year and has no difficulties in settling independently to revision at home, save your money! If on the other hand, continued support from knowledgeable professionals in a structured environment is likely to be beneficial, look carefully at choosing a suitable programme. Click here for some more tips on choosing the right programme.

• Book early to be sure that there is a space on a suitable programme
• Check that the tuition will be specification-specific. Find out which Awarding Body your child is working with so that the preparation on a revision programme is tailored to that exam board and any specific options.
• If you leave it too late, the revision programme may not be able to offer the specific titles in English Literature, for example, or History options.
• Opt for a programme that offers not only tuition, but also regular testing and a final mock exam.
• Where the tuition required is very specific, don't be surprised if one-to-one tuition is offered but for fewer hours than if your child could fit into a group. For example, if nobody else is studying the same texts as your child, it is better to have one-to-one support for those titles, than to be in a group of irrelevant teaching for twice as much time.
• If you choose a residential programme, find out whether there are social activities or sport offered to balance with the intensive revision work. Your child may make a supportive friend during this downtime, who can become a useful study body long after the end of the programme.
• Look into the credentials of the tutors. Teaching qualifications maybe less important at this stage than a comprehensive awareness of the specification. Knowledge of past papers, mark schemes and examiners reports are vital. The depth of knowledge of some teaching staff on revision programmes can be staggering!
• If the course is residential, it goes without saying that you should be extra careful to find out who will be assuring the safety of your child. All staff will have their Enhanced DBS these days but check whether they are experienced in supervising residential students.

Our friendly team can help you to make the right decision call today on +44 203 003 2259 to discuss the alternatives and have a look at our website to learn more about some of these programmes.